"It makes a spiffing spot to experiment with . . .," they exchanged glances, "things."
Which Harry knew meant their products for their planned business.
"And we set alert charms to warn us if anyone even comes close while we're inside."
They looked at him earnestly
Harry sighed, shook his head in resignation, and looked down the corridor. "So, what's Lee up to?" Jordan was on his fourth attempt at whatever he was doing since Harry had arrived. Still no door, still no joy.
"Don't know," Fred said.
"Won't say." George shrugged.
"Having a spot of trouble there, our Lee is."
"Me-thinks his mental prowess isn't that great."
Lee snorted, and glanced back at them. They hadn't been whispering and he had clearly heard everything they had said. "Shut your gobs, you wankers. I'm working here." He appeared in pain the way he screwed up his face.
Harry sighed, yet again. His scar was starting to throb.
The twins were glancing back and forth between Lee and him. Clearly, they expected him to order Lee to quit it. Although why they thought he had any more right to the room right now than they did left him puzzled.
He closed his eyes and wished his headache would go away, or that he was somewhere where Voldemort's emotions couldn't reach him. The scar's pain had expanded to behind his eyes. Anywhere was better than here right now. He stepped past Lee, and paced in front of the wall the necessary three times. Just give Lee what he wants, Harry thought emphatically walking in a small circle, still wishing faintly that he was far, far away from Tom and whatever was causing his headache.
The three seventh year's looked disappointed. From their expressions, he could tell they clearly thought he had dismissed their fun for the day, and was calling for the D.A. room.
They were all surprised when a wall appeared in the stone wall opposite the tapestry. It was an oval-shaped, recessed, metal wall with a shiny steel rim. There were no traces of either a handle or a seam.
"Yes!" Lee cried, pumping his arm in triumph. "Thanks, Harry! I don't know what you did, but thanks!" He stepped towards the metal wall. "And thanks for not simply ignoring my . . . wish, desire, dream?" He clapped Harry on the shoulder as the others stared at the door, confused.
"What?" Harry said, echoed by George and Fred who had stepped closer.
Lee ignored them and walked straight at the metal wall — which was a door, they saw, as it split diagonally in the middle, the two halves sliding silently into the walls. Whatever was on the other side of the door was dark. Lee confidently walked inside, and they heard him cast a lumos.
Then Harry realised what Lee had wanted. "No way," he murmured incredulously. He cast his own lumos and quickly followed Lee. "No WAY," he said louder as he walked inside and got a good look. It was a metal corridor, a vaulted, trapezoidal one at least four yards high, maybe five, wider at the bottom than the top. It had glowing designs, runes probably, Harry realized, carved into the steel walls at regular intervals beside closed doors. Lee was farther down the strange, polished corridor, and had walked through a door that had just opened for him. Harry hurried after him and into the open space beyond.
"No way," he half-shouted as he looked out the enormous window that made up the entire wall of the opposite side of the large hall. He barely noticed the odd tables with glass-like tops, and their chairs, that were arranged across room. Considering the time of day, and year, it should have shown a view of the lake beside Hogwarts in early twilight.
Except it didn't.
Instead, he could see thousands of stars, maybe millions, far more than he had ever seen before. And no trace of a lake, ground, trees, or mountains.
"Blo-ody hell," Harry breathed. He turned his head to look at Lee, wide-eyed, slack-jawed, and gobsmacked.
Lee grinned back at him, eyes sparkling. He hurried to the window and stopped. Then he reached out to touch it, to lean closer and see if there was anything visible this close to the window that he couldn't see from the hall door. He yelped and jerked his hand back. The window wasn't made of glass, but some sort of energy. Or there was an energy barrier in front of the window. In any case, as if he had touched a metal door-knob after sliding his feet across a rug, it had sparked at him. The dark-skinned wizard shook his hand absentmindedly. " 'Cor," he murmured, looking all around out the window. Harry wasn't sure he had noticed that the "window" had just shocked him.
"How . . . ?" Harry asked, following over to join Lee. Dark, star-speckled space met his eyes — until he noticed the arc of light that seemed to be below them. It wasn't that close, just an irregular spot of black the size of his thumb, with a partial arc of light alongside one end. Its shape blotted out the stars they should have been able to see. "Is . . . is that an asteroid?" he whispered. He could see the arc of light changing, as if the object were rotating.
"Huh?" Lee asked, looking around. He grinned as he saw where Harry was looking. "This. Is. Unbelievable!" he crowed, throwing both hands up over his head in triumph.
"Well, my good fellows," George said in a pompous tone as he came up behind them. He placed his arm over Lee's shoulders.
Fred placed his arms over Harry's shoulders and leaned against him, propping his chin on Harry's head. "Perhaps you could tell us what you're going on about?"